A few of the 21 kills credited to Mya Ayro on Thursday were tips, the mini-rainbows she directed over the reach of one or more Indian Creek defender.
The majority, however, were Ayro Specials.
That meant Greenwood’s 6-foot senior outside hitter putting every bit of strength into spikes that, more often than not, either found open floor or glanced off the hands of a Braves defender and out of play.
Ayro led the Woodmen to a 25-18, 25-19, 25-9 sweep of host Indian Creek, upping her team’s record to 5-4.
“I think I did okay. There are a lot of things I still need to fix on the court like in hitting and stuff,” Ayro said. “I think the key this season is all of us have gotten closer because we’ve been together longer. We’ve learned each other’s weaknesses and strengths, and have kind of tested it and grown as a team.”
In the opening set, the Woodmen trailed 10-9 but accounted for seven of the next nine points to take command.
The serving of junior Amy Luttrell paid dividends, with three of her six aces recorded during that stretch. Ayro, too, added her stamp with three kills and senior setter Ella Dean and junior middle hitter Brooklyn Bell teamed for a block.
Indian Creek clawed its way back to tie the score at 17-17, but again, Greenwood closed the set strong with an 8-1 scoring run.
The latter stages of the second set proved similar, the Braves clinging to a 17-16 advantage when the visitors went on a late run, starting with a pair of Bell kills bracketing a Luttrell ace.
Greenwood thoroughly dominated the final set, jumping to a 13-1 lead. All but one of those points were scored with Dean serving.
Luttrell equaled her ace total in kills with six, while Bell had five kills and Dean contributed four aces of her own. For the match, the Woodmen had five players combine for 14 service aces, the others being Ayro (two) and juniors Addison Whitecotton and Maria Bellapart (one apiece).
First-year Greenwood coach Zach Mackie was impressed with Luttrell’s all-around performance.
“Amy is one of those kids who does exactly what the team needs her to do,” Mackie said. “Sometimes it’s going to be five aces. Maybe it’s hitting on the outside, maybe it’s hitting on the right side. Maybe it’s even playing back row.
“She does a really good job of making sure she’s always in position, not only for herself, but for her teammates. She has these performances where every once in a while she just pops and shows you what she’s capable of.”
Freshman outside hitter Adriana Williams led Indian Creek (3-3) with six kills, followed by Faith Wiseman and Kylie Lemmon with three apiece. Sophomore setter Mattie Key contributed three service aces.
The Braves are back in action Saturday morning when they host their six-team invitational. Greenwood returns to Mid-State Conference play on Tuesday when it hosts Martinsville.
